Good morning and welcome to this week’s edition of Enjoy Sendik’s All Week, where today I’m sharing a slow cooker recipe for Loaded Baked Potato Soup. I figure people are busy and could use an addition to their crock pot repertoire. Personally, I don’t have time to make dinner, as I’m spending the afternoon writing meaningful, heartfelt get well cards to each and every one of the injured Packers. If you’ve seen the lengthy list of fractured fellas, then you understand that’s a project that’s going to take a long, long time.

I’m kidding about penning letters to the Packers — I don’t write to famous people anymore. I once wrote to Shaun Cassidy in 1976 and didn’t hear back from him. I wrote to Dorothy Hamill, too; also no response. Maybe they were busy, maybe it was the Holly Hobby stationery. Who knows. Anyway, I’m over it.

Here’s the soup! Scroll down for a couple of more recipe suggestions that make great use of the current Sendik’s sale ad. Have a great week.

Saute bacon in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until bacon is browned and crisp, stirring occasionally. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined dish, reserving two tablespoons of drippings in pan. Allow bacon to cool, then cover and refrigerate until it’s time to serve the soup.

Increase the heat to medium-high, and add the onion and thyme. Season with a sprinkle of kosher salt and ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions have softened and are golden brown. Sprinkle the flour over the onion mixture; cook and stir for one minute. Gradually add 1 cup of the chicken broth to the skillet, whisking to incorporate and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Once thoroughly combined, transfer mixture to the slow cooker.

Stir the remaining 3 cups of chicken broth and the potatoes into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove 2 or 3 cups of the potato mixture (more if you want a less chunky texture) to a bowl and mash until smooth. Mix in the half and half and the mashed potatoes. Cover the slow cooker and allow the soup to heat through, about 5 minutes, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

First of all, say you feel like serving fish this week but you want it in a form (other than processed sticks) that your kids will actually want to ingest. Try these Polenta Crusted Fish Cakes with Spicy Tomato Sauce, and don’t be scared away by the ‘spicy’. If you take the seeds out of the jalapeno, it won’t be spicy at all. This is a nice little recipe that makes great use of both the sale Frozen Cod Loins and the 5-lb. bags of Yukon Gold Potatoes. Egg-Land’s Best Grade A Large Eggs are also on sale if you’re running low.